Bahrain Mirror: Deputy Chairman of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Khalid Al Zayani, said he did not feel comfortable during the meeting with the American-Jewish delegations, which he attended in individual capacity, at the house of businessman Nabil Ajour. He added that he felt uncomfortable especially when he realized the visit has nothing to do with commerce, and when the delegation started talking about peace-related issues

Al Zayani reiterated that there is no connection whatsoever between the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry and any Zionist organization. "The Chamber of commerce has nothing to do with hosting the "Jewish" delegation, directly or indirectly, and no arrangements were made with the chamber in any way," Al Zayani said.

Moreover, he stated, "There was a personal invitation, and based on those invitations some members of the Chamber attended the meeting in their personal capacity, and not as representatives of the Chamber. They don't even know anything about the nature of the delegation, other than that they are American Jews."

"When we attended the meeting, we heard them talking about peace, and that they are peace advocates. Their words spoke of non-commercial topics, and at that point, I felt uncomfortable. When the music started, with their singing and dancing, I excused myself and left, because I felt uncomfortable, especially that they were singing in a language we don't know," Al Zayani went on to say.

Concerning whether the delegation actually spoke of something related to trade and business, Al Zayani said that "he was there in individual capacity, and he didn't see any commercial attraction, unless there were talking among themselves in their own language."

Furthermore, Al Zayani stressed that the Chamber of Commerce's support to the Palestinian Cause never halted, reiterating that no cooperation exists in any way with Zionist organizations

Al Zayani pointed out that the person who hosted the delegation was exploited, as he always hosts commercial delegations in good faith. He also noted that when he felt exploited, he issued an official statement apologizing for the event, and clarifying that he was exploited.

Arabic Version